Which to use
“décéder” is a verb and “décédés” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,290
- “décéder” frequency rank
- #18,181
- “décédés” frequency rank
- 55471
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | décéder | décédés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mourir, en parlant des personnes. | Masculin pluriel de décédé. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set décéder and décédés apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: décéder and décédés carry the same recorded pronunciation, \de.se.de\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55471, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
décéder is recorded at frequency rank #37,290, classified as averb, pronounced \de.se.de\. décédés is at rank #18,181, tagged as anadj, pronounced \de.se.de\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 55471, this pair ranks #127,244 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of décéder vs décédés
Shared letters: cdé. Private to "décéder": er. Private to "décédés": s.
"décéder" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "décédés" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "décéder" and "décédés" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "décéder" or "décédés"?
Remembering décéder vs décédés
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “décéder”; for an adjective, it's “décédés”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “décéder” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable